Spiritual knightly or, as they are sometimes called, military monastic orders appeared immediately after the start of the Crusades. Their appearance is as unusual and mysterious as the Crusades themselves. If we take into account the enormous role they played in the struggle for the Holy Land, as well as their subsequent glorious, equally tragic fate, then we can say with confidence that we are now touching on one of the most interesting and mysterious topics in the history of medieval Europe .
If in the Middle Ages chivalry was indeed perceived as the path to Salvation, then, probably, in no other knightly institution was this idea expressed as clearly as in this one. A knight who took three monastic vows became a member of the spiritual-knightly order: non-covetousness, obedience and chastity. Upon joining the order, knights often made rich contributions to it. They were forbidden to have wives, and they also had to submit to strict military discipline. All this together really turned the life of the members of the order brotherhood into a real, harsh feat.
However, in addition to spiritual knightly orders in the history of chivalry, there were other order-type formations. In general, knightly orders can be divided into three categories:
1. spiritual knightly orders, which operated for the most part during the Crusades, the most important of them being the Order of the Templars, the Order of the St. John the Hospitallers, the Teutonic Order, etc.;
2. honorary orders of knighthood, which were completely secular in nature and aimed at rewarding personal merit, and not any special activity - the Order of the Garter, the Order of the Golden Fleece and others;
3. fictional and legendary orders of chivalry, known only in literature, for example, the Order of King Arthur, known as the brotherhood of the Knights of the Round Table.
The history of honorary secular orders forms an important part of knightly culture. Their heyday occurred in the 14th-15th centuries, when the process of general secularization began to gain momentum in Europe. If spiritual knightly orders were subordinate to the Pope, then honorary orders were usually headed by a king or duke and served as a tool for strengthening their personal power as opposed to the power of the pope. Secular orders are a very interesting topic that directly relates to the history of chivalry, but its consideration lies beyond the scope of the Apology.
After the First Crusade, when the Crusaders managed to recapture Antioch and Jerusalem, there was a need for constant protection of the new Latin states formed in the East from the Arabs and Turks. Two knightly orders devoted themselves to this goal - the defense of the Holy Land: the Order of the Templars and the Order of the Hospitallers. Below is a brief history of these two orders, as well as the history of the Teutonic Order - as the third most powerful and famous knightly order, the history of which affects, in particular, the history of Ancient Rus'.
Order of the Knights Templar. Founded in 1119 to protect pilgrims traveling through Palestine, but a few years later the order began military operations in Palestine against Muslims. The headquarters of the order is located in Jerusalem, near the former Temple of Solomon. This is where the name of the order comes from - the Templars, or Templars. (le temple, fr. - temple). In 1129, the order received recognition at a church council in Troyes. Pope Honorius II approves the order's charter. The order's active military activity began, both in Palestine and in other theaters of war, for example, in Spain in 1143. The Order receives assistance from various European countries, has numerous branches in Europe, owns lands, and conducts financial transactions. In 1307, by order of the French king Philip IV the Fair, all the Knights Templar were arrested in France in one night. After the trial of the Templars in 1312, the order was liquidated by decree of Pope Clement V. In 1314, the last Grand Master of the Order, Jacques de Molay, was burned at the stake in Paris.
Order of St. John the Hospitallers. The Brotherhood of St. John was founded even before the First Crusade at the hospital of St. John the Merciful in Jerusalem, hence the name of the order. The goal of the brotherhood was to help poor and sick pilgrims. It has a wide network of shelters and hospitals, both in the East and in Europe. After the First Crusade, it also took on the functions of military defense of the Latin states from the “infidels”. The headquarters is located in Jerusalem. After the loss of Jerusalem and the ousting of the Crusaders from Palestine, the Hospitallers established their headquarters on the island. Rhodes since 1311
In 1522 the Turks besieged and captured the island. Rhodes. Hospitallers leave Fr. Rhodes. In 1530, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V provided the Hospitallers with Fr. Malta near Sicily. The order receives a new name - the Order of Malta. The Hospitallers build a powerful fleet and actively participate in naval operations against the Turks in the Mediterranean.
In 1792, during the revolution in France, the property of the order was confiscated. In 1798, French troops led by Napoleon Bonaparte captured Malta and expelled the Hospitallers from there. The Order of Malta is taken under the patronage of Paul I, who establishes the Maltese Cross - the highest award of the Russian Empire. After the death of Paul I in 1801, the order lost its patronage in Russia, and from 1834 it acquired a permanent residence in Rome. Currently, members of the order are engaged in providing medical and other assistance to the sick and wounded.
Warband. He grew up from a fraternity at a German hospital. The founding date of the order is considered to be 1199. In 1225, the Teutonic Order was invited to Prussia, where its headquarters were moved. In 1229, the order began the conquest of Prussia, and since then this task has become the main one in its activities.
The reception of knights is carried out mainly only from German lands. In 1237, the Teutonic Order united with the Order of the Sword, after which the conquest of Livonia also began. In 1242, the order was defeated on Lake Peipsi by Alexander Nevsky. In 1245, the order received permission to conduct a “continuous” Crusade in Prussia. In 1309, the order moved its headquarters to Prussia in the city of Marienburg. In 1410, the troops of the Teutonic Order were defeated at the Battle of Grunwald by the combined forces of Poles, Lithuanians, Czechs and Russians. In 1466, at the conclusion of the Peace of Torun, the Teutonic Order recognized itself as a vassal of the Kingdom of Poland.
Thus, in the XI - XIII centuries. The Catholic Church organized the crusades, the purpose of which was the liberation of Palestine and the “Holy Sepulcher” from Muslims, which, according to legend, was located in Jerusalem. The true goal of the campaigns was to seize lands and plunder the eastern countries, the wealth of which was much talked about in Europe at that time.
As a result of military campaigns in the armies of the crusaders, with the blessing of the Pope, special monastic-knightly organizations were created - spiritual-knightly orders. Upon entering the order, the knight remained a warrior, but took the usual vow of monasticism: he could not have a family. From that time on, he unquestioningly obeyed the head of the order - the grandmaster, or grand master. The orders were subordinate directly to the pope, and not to the rulers on whose lands their possessions were located.
Having captured vast territories in the East, the orders launched extensive activities in the “holy land”. The knights enslaved the peasants, both local and those who came with them from Europe. By robbing cities and villages, engaging in usury, and exploiting the local population, the orders accumulated enormous wealth. Large estates in Europe were bought with the stolen gold. Gradually the orders turned into the richest corporations. Soon the Knights Templar became the richest order.
Going on a crusade, large feudal lords and knights often pledged their lands and other property in the European offices of the order. Fearing robbery on the way, they only took a receipt in order to receive the money upon arrival in Jerusalem. So the Templars became not only moneylenders, but also organizers of banking. And it brought them enormous wealth: after all, many crusaders died on the way, not having time to reach Jerusalem...
Aspects about the detailed history of the creation of spiritual knightly orders and their role in the history of medieval Europe will be covered and discussed in more detail in the second chapter of our diploma project.
The emergence of spiritual knightly orders dates back to the times of the Crusades, which were organized by the Catholic Church from the ninth century. The goal was good: the liberation of Palestine and the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, but the associated tasks were no less expensive: both the high Catholics and the crusaders themselves needed new lands and thirsted for the riches of the eastern cities.
Formation of spiritual knightly orders
When the fortress of Jerusalem surrendered to the mercy of the victor in 1099, the Pope blessed the creation of new organizations to guard and protect both Christian possessions and the pilgrims themselves from local Islamists. The base had already been created by that time - various spiritual brotherhoods, from which the spiritual-knightly orders of the Hospitallers, Templars and some others were formed.
It was quite difficult to reconcile two opposite, according to the Holy Scriptures, hypostases - service to God and military service, where they had to kill their own kind. But by the twelfth century, the history of the spiritual knightly order had grown with its own ideologists, who fully justified not only the creation, but also the way of life of the crusading knights.
Holy vows
A knight entering the order became a monk, taking vows of poverty, obedience, chastity, intolerance towards infidels and fulfilling the duty of hospitality. A commoner who joined the order became a military monk. However, commoners, even in the circle of initiates, always kept their own, separate group. Some orders even accepted women into their ranks.
The discipline was army, everyone unquestioningly obeyed the head - the Grand Master, the Grandmaster, who could report only to the Pope. The rulers on whose lands the spiritual knightly order (the Templars and any other) were located, if they did not join its ranks, did not have any voting rights, much less command.
Hierarchy
The history of the spiritual knightly order was written on special tablets. The knightly orders differed from the monastic orders and from each other in their clothing and their own charter, which was certified by a signature. But, unlike the monastic ones, the ranks of the knight-monks grew very, very quickly, as required by the constant war.
The knights not only plundered eastern villages and cities, they violated many of Christ’s commandments: they lent money at interest, exploited local residents, and engaged in the slave trade. And they steadily became richer. The crusader knight of the ninth century differed from his brother in the thirteenth as heaven from earth. It must be admitted that, having become rich, many orders invested money in science.
Each member of the order had a specific position. Over time, she could be recognized by her clothing (only to initiates, of course). The Templars wear a white cloak with a red cross, the Hospitallers wear a black cloak, and wear a white cloak with a black cross.
The history of the spiritual knightly order shows that sewing a special cross on clothes by papal bull was allowed only in 1146, and not for all at once, but only for the most noble knights by blood. Over time, when the treasury of not only the order, but also individual knights, was significantly enriched, luxury even in clothing was not long in coming.
Three major orders
Until the beginning of the fifteenth century, the history of the spiritual knightly order during the Crusades describes a little more than twenty orders, of which three were the richest, most influential and powerful. They had such huge fortunes that kings envied them. Here are these wonderful three:
The history of the spiritual knightly order was written not only in the Holy Land. The Crusaders took part in wars in all territories of the Christian world. In Spain, the Knights of the Hospitaller and Templar orders were the first to begin fighting, and the Teutons tamed all of Central and Northern Europe. In Eastern Europe, their military glory, however, ended (let us remember Alexander Nevsky).
History of the spiritual knightly order of the Templars
The colossal fortune allowed the orders to buy up the best lands throughout Europe. As proof of their power, the Templars, for example, minted their own money, which circulated freely throughout Europe. The coins were made of silver and gold, and so many of them appeared that the Templars were credited with alchemical discoveries, for example, from lead...
This organization was able to exist for quite a long time. Back in 1118, nine French knights, led by Hugues de Payen and Geoffroy de Saint-Home, remained to defend the road to Jerusalem from the Mediterranean after the First Crusade. First of all, Christian pilgrims from robbers and robbers. From Baldwin they received a residence, after which they later began to be called - Temple Castle, built on the site of the ancient Temple of Solomon. This Order has several names:
- Order of the Poor Knights (or Brothers) of the Temple of Jerusalem (or Temple of Solomon).
- Order of the Templars.
- Order of the Knights Templar.
Charter
Knights wishing to join the Order certainly had to become monks - humble, poor and celibate. It was, however, a very successful project. The history of the spiritual-knightly order suggests that its charter was one of the toughest and strictest, and it was developed by Saint Bernard himself, and approved by Pope Eugene III in 1128, that is, after ten years of unofficial existence.
In the Templar Order, a knight was obliged to forget everything worldly, including relatives, eat only bread and water, and dress in the simplest and roughest clothes. He could not have any property. If gold or silver was found in his belongings after death, there was no place for it in the consecrated ground of the cemetery.
However, all this did not stop the Templars from becoming especially greedy for booty, entertainment and even drunkenness. Works of fiction written about that time, for example, a novel, preserve the historical truth that was found in historical chronicles.
Division into classes and distinctive signs
The Templars had estates. This is definitely a necessary organizational project. The history of the spiritual knightly order has preserved for us three divisions: the knights themselves, the priests and the so-called sergeants, which included all the lower ranks: pages, squires, soldiers, servants, guards, and so on.
It must be admitted that with all this categorical division, everyone accepted monastic vows, and everyone had to fulfill the rules equally impeccably. However, there were plenty of exceptions to the rules.
For all Knights Templar, a white cloak, similar to a mantle, with a Maltese eight-pointed scarlet cross was mandatory. The sergeants dressed in brown, the cross was the same. You could recognize a Templar on the high road by the battle cry “Bosean!”, as well as by the flag - a black and white cloth and the motto in Latin - “Not to us, Lord” (the first words from the ninth verse of the one hundred and thirteenth psalm).
The Templar coat of arms was simply a symbol of poverty: it depicted two knights on one horse. If a knight went on a crusade, he carried the cross on his chest, and when returning, he carried it on his back. The style, cut, size and material of the clothing, as well as the location of the cross, were usually chosen by him himself.
National and class affiliation
At first, only a Frenchman of noble birth could be initiated into the Knights Templar. A little later, the British also received this opportunity. Nevertheless, both Spaniards, Italians, and Flemings became knights. Only knights could occupy leadership positions - from the Grand Master and Master of the Dominions to the Castellan, Capitulier, and Drapier.
Richer townspeople became sergeants, who occupied good positions as accountants, squires, managers and storekeepers. Those who were poorer became servants, soldiers or guards.
The bishops of the Roman Church and the Pope himself could not control the priests of the Order. The spiritual-knightly Order of the Templars demanded that their priests provide for spiritual needs, despite the fact that all knights of the Order were endowed with the rights of a confessor. Only the order's priest could send orders to members of the Order, because many secrets were protected from the Roman Catholic Church.
Despite the strict rules and camp life, the Order of the Templars quickly became popular. A few years later, three hundred more joined the nine knights, among whom were many crowned heads. The number of sergeants, naturally, also increased.
Where do the firewood come from?
Belonging to the Order provided both personal security and an increase in wealth. It was impossible to offend a member of the Order. “One for all” is a motto born far before the first musketeer.
The Order, which was proclaimed beggarly, rapidly grew richer. And not only because rulers often bequeathed untold wealth to him. Entire villages, cities, churches, castles, and monasteries eventually began to belong to the Order. They humbly gave him taxes and taxes. The fact is that the spiritual-knightly Order of the Templars was engaged in usury.
It was not the Jews, but the Templar Order that created the banking system of Europe. In the Middle Ages, Jews were only street money changers, and the Templars already had a credit system, bills of exchange, and their own money. They operated not only with gold, but also with securities.
Departed from the Cross
The Templars were noted as the greatest traitors to the cause of the bearers of the Cross of Christ. Such was the case in October 1240, when the Muslims of Damascus and Egypt quarreled, the crusaders took the side of Egypt, concluding a deal with an agreement, and for this they received not only Jerusalem, but also almost all of Palestine. Bloodless! The Templars, having conspired with Damascus, attacked the Egyptians together with the Teutonic Knights and Hospitallers. Moreover, they were more cruel than Muslims and Jews. The blood reached the horses' knees, as the history of the spiritual-knightly Order of the Templars says. Even fellow crusaders were not allowed to bury their dead. In 1243, the Muslims repaid the Templars in full and took Jerusalem back, releasing only three Teutons, twenty-six Hospitallers and thirty-three Templars alive.
Further crusades were as numerous as they were unsuccessful. In 1298, Jacques de Molay became the last Grand Master of the Order. The idea of the crusades faded, the meaning of the existence of military monks became unclear. The Teutonic Order still had some work left - a century and a half. But the Templars became uncomfortable sitting on those riches that even the kings could not dream of. The First Temple remained with the Muslim world, and the spiritual-knightly Order of the Templars established a residence in Cyprus - a refuge was established there for Christians who were able to leave Palestine, but who were not at all expected in Europe.
Robbers
Charles Valois, brother started a war with Byzantium. It was no easier to fight against Greek Christianity than against Muslims. The Templars, instead of fighting Andronikos, go along the coast from Thessalonica to Thrace and Moravia, where Catholicism has already reigned.
The Templars had rich booty. But the European monarchs were indignant. Who is interested in having a force of fifteen thousand real soldiers nearby, well armed and battle-hardened, who are also aggressive, arbitrarily and cunningly controlled? And, of course, greed played a role: the Templars were fabulously, unspeakably rich.
In 1307, Philip the Fair issued a decree arresting all Templars in the country. Prisoners were brutally tortured and burned at the stake. The French treasury was significantly replenished. The history of the spiritual-knightly Order of the Templars has come to an end.
Spiritual knightly orders are military monastic brotherhoods in the West. Europe in the XII-XVII centuries.
The purpose of their creation was the protection of Christians and the Christian faith, the protection and expansion of possessions in the Middle East, the Iberian Peninsula, and the Baltic States. Types of D.-r. o.: 1) military-hospitals, which arose in the XII-XIII centuries. in the Holy Land in connection with; 2) military units of monastic orders, which arose, as a rule, during the course of the Iberian Peninsula; 3) royal national orders, created with the aim of consolidating the nobility in the interests of royal power.
D.-r. appeared earlier than others. o., who set the task of ensuring the path of pilgrims to the Holy Land and ransoming prisoners. Although their members, upon initiation, accepted monastic obedience and monastic vows (chastity and voluntary poverty), such D.-r. O. were predominantly military organizations. These are the Jerusalem orders: St. Lazarus (end of the 12th century), St. Sepulcher (1099), St. John's Hospital (Hospitaliers, aka, 1113-1130; later the order was known as the Order of Rhodes, and from 1530 - as the Maltese), Order of the Temple (, 1118), (1190), Order of the Sword, founded in 1197 for the Christianization of the Baltic states; in 1237 he united with the Teutonic. In 1218, the Order of Our Lady of the Redeemer, or the Order of the Holy Virgin of Mercy (Nuestra Señora de Merced), was established to ransom captives; in 1317 his knights transferred to the new Order of Monte'sa. The early history of the orders is replete with much semi-reliable information.
Warrior monks (milites, chevaliers) were spiritually nourished by the clergy of the corresponding monastic orders (for example, the Cistercian). Structurally D.-r. O. were divided into nations, priories, balyages and commanderies, from the income from which their activities were financed. Organization D.-r. O. was strictly hierarchical: at the head was a master or grand master, subordinate to the Pope, followed by a commander, marshal, and treasurer. The knights were exempt from duties and taxes, with the exception of commercial activities, and were endowed with other economic and legal privileges. On the Iberian Peninsula, grand masters of knightly orders had the right to a titular predicate before their personal name. Not all soldiers belonged to the privileged class; some were recruited from the free peasantry; they did not become knights. In addition to the knights, the order included monastic brothers and clergy of the churches of the corresponding parishes. Visual differences were reflected in the ceremonial attire. The sign of the orders was the cross: red sword-shaped prosperous (), red prosperous (), green prosperous (Alka'ntara), black prosperous, burdened with a red cross (Monte'sy), eight-pointed white (Johannites), red crutch (St. Sepulcher) , black palmate (Teutonic), etc.
The orders of Alcantara (1154), Calatrava (1158), Aviz (St. Benedict) (1167), and Santiago (1170), which arose on the Iberian Peninsula, gradually moving the borders of the Christian kingdoms to the south, played an important role in the Reconquista. They were given castles, settlements, lands and rights, which included them in the seigneurial and economic structure of the regions. Since the end of the Reconquista (in Portugal in 1249), the problem has become the relationship between the D.-R. O. with a crown. An ideal example of cooperation is the Portuguese Order of Christ, created in 1319 after the liquidation of the Templar Order (March 22, 1312) on the basis of their property. In Valencia, the property of the Templars was transferred to the Order of Montesa (1317), which in 1400 merged with the Order of St. George of Alphama, founded in 1201 and recognized in 1373.
Royal national, so-called secular, D.-r. O. were created with the goal of consolidating the nobility around royal power and were distinguished by a much smaller religious component. These in France were the Order of the Star (1352), the Order of St. Michael (1469), the Order of the Holy Spirit (1570); in England the Order of the Bath (1339), Order (1349); in Denmark, the Order of the White Elephant (1464); in Burgundy the order (1430). Founded at the end of the 14th century. The Eastern European knightly Order of the Dragon, formally considered wandering, belongs to the national royal orders. The old orders moved closer to the crown, and new regional ones were created. In the orders of the first type, the Grand Master was elected by the knights, in the orders of the second he was elected by the knights and confirmed by the chapter of the monastic order, and then by the pope; in orders of the royal type, he was appointed from among the princes or bastards of the royal house. In the 16th century many orders were annexed by the crown.
In modern times, to members of the D.-r. O. began to impose strict requirements for confirmation of nobility. During the liberal revolutions of the early 19th century. military orders were liquidated, but their names were sometimes returned in the form of orders - awards for merit. Most of the D.-r. O. disappeared or continued to exist nominally. Row D.-r. O. was restored under the old names in very recent times; some exist as self-proclaimed ones.
Lit.: Antoshevsky I.K. Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem, called Maltese in Russia. St. Petersburg, 1914; History of the Order of Malta XI-XX centuries. M., 1999; Shaskolsky I.P. The struggle of Rus' against crusader aggression on the shores of the Baltic in the XII-XIII centuries. L., 1978; Bielenfeld F. F. von. Geschichte und Verfassung aller Ritterorden. Weimar, 1841; Bonnet M.-R., Cierbide R. Les statuts de l’ordre de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem. Ed. critique des manuscrits en langue d'Oc (XIVe siècle). Bilbao, 2007; Cappelletti L. Storia degli ordini cavallereschi. Livorno, 1904; Chaffanjon A., Galimard Flavigny B. Ordres et contre-ordres de chevalerie. Paris, 1982; La Commanderie: Institution des ordres militaires dans l’Occident medieval. Paris, 2002; Idem. Breve histoire des ordres religieux militaires. Gavaudun, 1997; Idem. Chevaliers du Christ, les ordres religieux-militaires au Moyen Age. Paris, 2002; Favyn A. Histoire des ordres de chevalerie. Vol. I-II. Paris, 1620; Lawrence-Archer J. H. The Orders of Chivalry. London, 1887; Novoa Portea F. Le Glaive et la Croix, templiers, hospitaliers, chevaliers teutoniques et autres ordres militaires au moyen âge. Paris, 2005; Pinoteau H. Études sur les Ordres de Chevalerie du roi de France, et tout spécialement sur les ordres de Saint-Michel et du Saint-Esprit. Paris, 1995.
Spiritual knightly orders- in Western Europe, military-monastic organizations of knights, created during the Crusades in the 12-13th centuries. under the direction of catholic church mainly for crusades and war against infidels: against Islam in the Holy Land, in Spain or Turkey, or against pagans in Lithuania, Estonia or Prussia with the aim of spreading Catholicism (after the Reformation, sometimes Protestantism). Subsequently, the orders could become secular.
The spiritual-knightly orders include the orders of the Johannites, the Templars, the Teutonic Order, the Order of Alcantara, the Order of Calatrava, etc.
As monks, members of spiritual knightly orders took vows of abstinence, obedience, and poverty. As feudal knights, they carried weapons and took part in campaigns of conquest. Young adherents were called neophytes. The neophyte had to pass a mandatory test.
The structure of spiritual knightly orders was hierarchical. Each order was headed by a Grand Master (Grandmaster), elected for life and approved by the Pope. Subordinate to him were the heads of “provinces” (local divisions of the order) - priors, as well as marshals (in charge of the finances of the order), commanders (commandants of castles, fortresses), etc. They constituted a periodically convened general chapter, which had legislative power. The main layer were the brother knights.
Thanks to grants, seizures, usury and trade transactions, the spiritual-knightly orders achieved great wealth, became large land owners who brutally exploited the dependent peasantry, and acquired significant economic and political power. With the strengthening of centralized power in European states, the spiritual knightly orders gradually lost their importance, although some of them (for example, the Teutonic) continue to exist.
| Emblem | Name | Year of foundation | Year of dissolution | Notes |
|
Order of Hospitallers, Order of Malta (Ionnites) |
1099 |
exists in our time |
Is the oldest knightly order. |
|
 |
Order of the Knights Templar (Templars) |
1119 | 1312 | |
| Order of St. Lazarus | 1142 |
exists in our time |
||
 |
Autrain by Calatrava | 1158 | 1838 | |
 |
Warband | 1193 |
exists in our time |
Was dissolved in 1809 time of the Napoleonic wars. Restored in 1834 as a monastic |
 |
Order of the Sword | 1202 | 1237 | In 1237 he became part of the Teutonic Order |
 |
Order of the Saint Holy Sepulcher |
1099 |
exists in our time |
The first spiritual knightly orders of the Middle Ages began to form during the Crusades, that is, in the period from the eleventh to the thirteenth centuries.
Reason for the creation of orders
Knightly orders are created under the strict guidance of the Catholic Church with the aim of spreading Catholicism in the Holy Land, as well as for the active fight against infidels - Muslims and pagans.
The most powerful spiritual knightly orders
The most ancient and most influential knightly orders of the Middle Ages are considered to be the Order of the Templars and the Order of the Hospitallers. Both orders were created at the very beginning of the era of the Crusades.
Hospitallers
At first, the Hospitallers were not an order as such, it was an organization whose task was to care for the wounded and poor Christians, pilgrims, who were in the Holy Land. But after the capture of Jerusalem, the organization turns into a knightly order. The Knights Hospitallers were entrusted with the task of vigilantly protecting the Holy Land and its inhabitants. The head of the order was the master, who was appointed to this position until his death.
Soon the Hospitallers began offering knightly armed escorts. The number of knights grew very quickly, and the order began to represent a significant force in the Middle East. The knights of the order showed themselves clearly on the field; they fought both on foot and on horseback. The knights wore black robes with large white crosses.
Since the middle of the twelfth century, there has been a division within the order into brother knights (warriors) and brothers doctors (they took care of the sick and poor). The Order of the Hospitallers did not obey anyone except the pope and had many privileges, including exemption from paying tithes to the church and the right to own land.
The Hospitallers in the Holy Land were engaged in the construction of fortifications, so they owned seven large fortresses. The most powerful fortification of the Hospitallers was the stronghold of Krak des Chevaliers, which was never captured by battle. They were able to take possession of the impenetrable fortress only once, and then only thanks to deception.
After Jerusalem fell, the Hospitallers found refuge in the county of Tripoli, and then on the island of Cyprus, where the Crusader Kingdom of Cyprus was created. After the Templars were disbanded, the Hospitallers received part of their possessions.
Templars
The Templar Order was created in 1119, shortly after the First Crusade. King Baldwin of Jerusalem gave them premises within the walls of the Jerusalem Temple, where they established their headquarters. In 1139, the pope gave the knights of the order his patronage and some privileges. The Knights Templar were exempt from paying taxes, obeyed only the pope, and received lands for their use.
The Knights of the Templar Order fought in white robes with a red cross. They fought both on horseback and on foot. The knights of the order had squires. The foot warrior was armed with a long sword and shield, while the horseman also used a spear, shield and sword.
They demonstrated their military talents at the Battle of Ramla, where the Crusaders managed to defeat the forces of Saladin.
The Templars were a powerful force in Europe, and especially in England, because their master held a seat in parliament.
In 1187, the Knights Templar are defeated by Saladin's forces and many of them are captured. The master of the order is believed to have converted to Islam and exchanged his life for the lives of his knights - captured Templar knights were executed.
Quickly recovering from their defeat, in 1191, the Templars took an active part in the capture of Acre. When the Crusaders recapture Jerusalem in 1199, the Templars massacre many of the city's Muslim civilians.
The Templars behave quite cruelly, even with their brothers. They expel the Knights Hospitaller and Teutons from Acre. Many Hospitallers and Teutons were killed and captured.
In 1291, the Templars were forced to leave Acre and other cities of the Holy Land, as they could not resist the onslaught of the Muslims.
The Templars were very rich, since the basis of their activities was economics, and not military operations. They protected trade routes, gave loans, accepted donations, and engaged in usury. In addition, the order possessed huge land plots.
Like the Hospitallers, the Templars are engaged in the construction of fortresses and roads. In the Holy Land they owned eighteen large castles. The Templars became the largest bankers in Europe.
At the beginning of the fourteenth century, members of the Templar Order were subject to mass arrests and executions. They are accused of blasphemy, debauchery, denial of Christ and other sins. In 1312 the order was officially dissolved.
Other knightly orders of the Middle Ages
Less influential were the Teutonic Order, the Order of the Holy Sepulcher, the Order of Santiago, the Order of Christ and others.
